Last Saturday, March 20, 2021, the Brooklyn Masonic Lodge dedicated a commemorative cornerstone at Forney ISD’s Jerry & Helen Griffin Elementary School. What will be FISD’s eighth elementary school, Griffin Elementary in the Devonshire neighborhood is scheduled to begin welcoming students in the fall of 2021.
A cornerstone leveling ceremony is a tradition of the Masonic Lodge that stretches back to the mid-1700s and is based on Biblical and historical references which are thousands of years old. The cornerstone ceremony for Griffin Elementary was sponsored and coordinated by the Brooklyn Lodge, which has been a part of the Forney community for over a century. This lodge, chartered under the Grand Lodge of Texas, states that its purpose is to “strive to improve ourselves daily, and in doing so, also improve our families and community.” With a special emphasis on children, families, and education, the Masons of the Brooklyn Lodge requested this cornerstone leveling function take place through the office of the Grand Lodge of Texas.
Rooted in the fraternity’s centuries-old background, the dedication consisted of orations and ceremonial actions by the Masons. Unlike the original ceremonies of this kind, modern-day Masons generally do not actually install a proper cornerstone but instead dedicate a commemorative stone that is displayed on the northeast corner of the building. This dedication is symbolic of the Masons’ desire to see nourishment, refreshment, and joy take place within the walls of this building, while upholding morality and truth.
The Brooklyn Lodge elected to dedicate a cornerstone at Griffin Elementary because Reverend Jerry D. Griffin, one of the namesakes for the new facility, is a long-time Mason himself. Along with other Lodge members and community members, Reverend and Mrs. Griffin were able to attend Saturday’s event held in front of the ongoing construction of Griffin Elementary School. “Helen and I are so grateful for this honor,” Reverend Griffin said following the closing of the ceremony. “It’s a tremendous blessing in our lives, one that we never anticipated. And we’re grateful for the schools making this possible.”
Reverend Griffin pastored First Baptist Church of Forney for 33 years, leading not only the church’s congregation but the entire Forney community in many capacities. Upon his retirement from his position as pastor of First Baptist Forney in the mid-1990s, Griffin has continued to invest in the lives of the families in the Forney area through his work with the Kauf-Van Association, First Baptist Church, Forney Lions Club, the Brooklyn Lodge, and numerous other ways.
Saturday’s cornerstone ceremony for Griffin Elementary was officially closed with the following remarks by Grandmaster Wendell P. Miller of the Grand Lodge of Texas: “On behalf of the Masonic Grand Lodge of Texas, we thank the citizens of this community for allowing us the opportunity to level this cornerstone.”
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